Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
Listening to Leadership?
Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told other Democrats there will be no talk of efforts to impeach President Bush or anyone else, but that won’t stop the anti-war left from clamoring for the President’s head this weekend.
The liberal group ImpeachPAC has organized more than 50 protests across the country on Sunday to call for congressional investigations into alleged human rights violations and misconduct in Iraq, and to lobby state and local governments to pass resolutions supporting impeachment. Democrats as a group may not be pushing the idea but some individual Democrats are.
Controversial Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney has already taken part in a forum sponsored by ImpeachPAC accusing the President of “war crimes, torture and crimes against humanity.”
Tough Road for Kerry
Potential presidential candidates are already announcing their intentions for 2008. But former Democratic nominee John Kerry may have a tough road ahead of him if he wants to run again. When asked by Gallup to name the first thing they think of when they hear “John Kerry for president in 2008,” voters were not very encouraging.
The most frequent reactions? One, “Already lost/Had his chance.” Two, “Don’t like him.” Followed by “Dishonest/Don’t trust,” “Wishy-washy/Too indecisive,” “Weak/no backbone,” and “Traitor/Disloyal to military.”
After all those, coming in at the bottom, just four percent said their first thought was that Kerry “Would make a good candidate.”
Banished to the Basement?
The legislative agenda may not be the only thing that changes under new Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The Washington Post reports Pelosi is considering banning her colleagues from smoking in the Speaker’s Lobby outside the House Chamber — a popular hangout for lawmakers enjoying a smoke between votes.
That would relegate smokers to the building’s only other smoking location — a cramped, unmarked room in the basement. Pelosi is said to privately detest smoking, but may hold off on the ban so as not to offend some important Democrats whose support she’ll need next year.
Political Priorities
The pressing issue for leading lawmakers in Michigan isn’t the economy or the war… it’s college football. The top Democrat and Republican in the State Senate have introduced legislation calling for a head-to-head playoff system to replace the convoluted Bowl Championship Series that decides who will play for the national title based on computer rankings and votes.
The resolution comes after the University of Michigan was passed over for a shot at the championship in favor of the University of Florida — despite both teams having only one loss.
Republican Leader Mike Bishop called it an “injustice,” saying subjectivity should be removed from a process that has financial and emotional repercussions.
—FOX News Channel’s Martin Hill contributed to this report.
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